Salt water is generally safer than fresh water for swimming in developing countries. However, only pools that contain properly chlorinated water can be considered safe from infectious diseases.

When swimming in the sea, check out the possible existence of jellyfish, sea urchins, coral, sea snakes, sharks and venomous fish. Human sewage and animal faeces make some beaches no-go areas for swimming or even wading.

Holidays Syria

50 ways to save on your holidays

Richard Browning

SCHOOLS are clamping down on parents who take their children on holiday during term time. At best, to get permission for even one extra day off at either end of a holiday requires a degree of form filling and letter writing that wouldn’t be out of place in a Soviet police station. Even then, the final decision rests on the whim of the chairman of governors. While the difference a day makes to a child’s education is unquantifiable, it can add thousands of pounds to the price of a family holiday. But with this option of saving money virtually outlawed, how do you stick within the rules without breaking the bank?

Here are some examples from the article on how to save money on your holiday. Visit “Holiday Money” to read the holiday article in full.

13. Save up for the holiday you really want You don’t have to slum it. If you plan ahead and save your money like people did in the ‘olden’ days, you can have the holiday you want, where you want and when you want – even in the school holidays.

14. Take your bike If you can’t travel in the small hours, taking your family by car to the Continent in the summer can cost a small fortune. So long as you tell the ferry company in advance, most will allow you to take your bikes for free. This is especially viable if you’re visiting Holland or the Belgian coast, which are famously rather flat.

15. Go youth hostelling Did you know that in spite of the name, youth hostels are not the preserve of the young – and many have family rooms?

Visit Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, and all of the other Walt Disney characters at World Disney World in Florida – don’t book a hotel room, rent a luxury villa within minutes of the theme parks. Florida villas for rent near Walt Disney World with private swimming pool.

Holidays Syria

19. Haggle for your hotel by email One tip we like is to find accommodation recommended in guide books and on the travel websites – then email them directly to check for availability. Wait a few weeks and check again. If it’s still available you’re in a strong position to haggle for a deal. Email is particularly useful for people who hate haggling face to face or by phone.

20. Collect newspaper tokens Many newspapers have a travel club or offer travel discounts that involve collecting tokens. Some of them offer a fantastic opportunity to save money on your holiday. Others don’t, so always read the small print.

21. Check the latest exchange rates Fluctuations in the value of the pound can mean the difference between being able to afford a holiday in the US and not. At current rates, America is around 20% cheaper than a couple of years ago. Also, think about visiting countries with currencies aligned to the dollar such as those in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Holidays Syria

31. How to locate cheap train tickets Since the railways were privatised, unearthing cheap train tickets can seem impossible. But it’s really quite simple. There are basically three types of ticket. The ‘cheapo’, available if you book 28 days or more in advance; the just-about-affordable if booked 14 days or more in advance; and the forget-it, which is what you’ll pay in the last week before you travel. Best is to check individual websites for details. Tip: For peak periods at Christmas and Easter the ‘cheapo’ tickets go on sale about eight or nine weeks before the respective festive period and by ‘cheapo’ we mean around £25 return to cross most of the country rising to three or four times the price if you leave it to the last minute.

32. Don’t fly on Fridays or Saturdays Useless advice if you want to get away for a week at half-term but during the summer or Easter if you can fly on weekdays you can save a lot of money. BA.com has a useful fare search tool that allows you to select the cheapest day to fly.